Maintaining mammography adherence through telephone counseling in a church-based trial

Objectives. This study assessed the effectiveness of telephone counseling i n a church-based mammography promotion intervention trial. Methods. Thirty churches were randomized to telephone counseling and contro l conditions. telephone interview data were used in assessing intervention effects on mammography adherence. Separate analyses were conducted for base line-adherent participants (maintaining adherence ) and baseline-nonadheren t participants (conversion to adherence). Results. Year 1 follow-up data indicated that the telephone counseling inte rvention maintained mammography adherence among baseline-adherent participa nts and reduced the nonadherence rate from 23% to 16%. Conclusions. Partnerships between the public health and faith communities a re potentially effective conduits to promote maintenance of widely endorsed health behaviors such as regular cancer screening.